Vignettes
by aperfectpirouette
Summary: "Vignette: a brief description, account, or episode." A series of one-shots that tell the story of Lucas and Riley over the years. The companion piece to "Moments." Rucas.
1. Ice Cream Battle

**A/N: A companion piece to my story "Moments", "Vignettes" is a series of one-shots that further explore some glossed-over scenes. I recommend that you read "Moments" first to get some context of the universe in which these one-shots are set, but it's probably not required. These one-shots are written in no particular order. A sincere** _ **thank you**_ **to those who read and reviewed "Moments," your comments made my heart flutter. I hope you enjoy this one, too.**

 **Vignettes ~ Ice Cream Battle**

 _This is a state of grace_

 _This is the worthwhile fight_

 _Love is a ruthless game_

 _Unless you play it good and right_

 _("State of Grace, Taylor Swift)_

"Okay. Here we are again. Now remember, everyone, standard ice cream duel rules apply. Maya, you are serving as Lucas's second. Farkle, you are Charlie's. Riley, as the trophy of this duel, you will sit there and look pretty."

"Zay, I'm not a trophy!" Riley usually loved ice cream duels. After the initial one with Maya during eighth grade, their friend group have used ice cream duels to solve their conflicts. Zay and Farkle both want to be Batman for Halloween: ice cream duel. Lucas and Riley both want to be Farkle's lab partner in chemistry: ice cream duel. Zay and Lucas each want to go to the Knick's game with Riley: ice cream duel. Riley and Zay have an argument over whether _The Nutcracker_ or _The Radio City Christmas Spectacular_ is better holiday entertainment: ice cream duel. They've become a tradition and Riley normally loves them. But not today.

"Oh, Riley. It will be fun. Besides, this is my first ice cream duel. I'm actually kind of excited." Of them all, Charlie is the most easy-going. As such, he hasn't had reason to get into a duel with anyone. That changed when he asked Riley to the senior prom. And then Lucas found out, and he was planning on asking Riley to the prom.

Maya found the whole situation hilarious. "Hey, Ranger Rick. Remember that time in the eighth grade when you waited ten months to ask Riley to semi-formal. And then Charlie asked her and they went together. Remember that? This just like that!"

"Haha, pancake. You are hilarious," Lucas said with a grumble. As he was handed his ice cream cone, he refocused his attention to Charlie. "Why did you even ask Riley to prom? You're my friend and you know I like her. You know we have an unofficial thing going."

This caused Charlie to break out into laughter. "You guys _always_ have an unofficial thing going – except when you have an actual thing going. Look, Laura just dumped me. I want to go to prom. I want to go with a friend. Riley didn't have a date and she's my friend, so I figured, 'Hey, ask Riley.' Prom is in two weeks, Lucas. You wanna hesitate any more?"

"In my defense," Riley interrupted. "I'm not pathetic. Trent Sylverton _and_ Robert Carter asked me to prom. I just didn't want to end up in a group with either the science club – no offense, Farkle – or the theatre company."

The group pretty much ignored her to focus on the issue at hand.

"Lucas," Farkle said, moving the conversation forward, "Were you really going to ask Riley to prom, or are you just upset that you got beat to the punch by Charlie. Again."

"Oooh, answer the question, Ranger Rick,"

"Dang, Lucas, I think he got you." Zay was really enjoying this whole thing. He hoped it would get Riley and Lucas to stop dancing around each other. They were all tired of the "will they, won't they" dance.

"I wanted to ask her," Lucas claimed indignantly. "I just, I – the situation is complicated."

"Really, cowboy?" Charlie asked. " _That's_ the story you're going with? Complicated? You two have been 'complicated' since day one. This prom situation is not complicated. You want to go to prom with girl. You ask girl. The end. I think Riley should just go with me on the count of _I actually asked her_."

"I like you, Charlie. You're one of my best friends, but I really want to smash this ice cream into your face."

"Bring it, Friar. I dare you."

"Okay, okay," Zay interrupted. "Let's not let this get out of hand. It's just a dance, not worth losing friends over."

"Exactly!" Riley exclaimed. "Why don't we just not bring dates and we all-"

"Oh, that's not happening, Little Plant. I want to see this. Start the duel, Zay!"

"Maya!" Riley was doing her best to end the madness. She tried a new appeal, "Farkle, tell them all that this is crazy. We should just all go as friends, it would be fun."

"Sorry, Riley." Farkle at least looked a little ashamed. "You, Lucas, and Charlie are the only ones without dates, we couldn't all go as friends anyway. Besides, I want to see how this goes."

"Well, alrighty then." Zay was the Master of Ceremonies for this particular duel. He took the job seriously. "Back to the matter at hand. Standard ice cream duel rules apply: first person to smash the cone into their opponent's face wins a date with the lovely, indecisive Riley Matthews. Let's keep it clean, boys. One hand on the cone, the other behind your back. Verbal sparring is allowed, but nothing that would ruin the group dynamic. On your marks, get set, duel!"

Lucas was an athlete, so he was the obvious choice as the winner and for a while, as the two teenagers chased each other through Topanga's, it looked like he was the clear winner. However, Charlie was sly. He had the benefit of watching Lucas in his games and in several ice cream duels in the past, so he knew what to expect. To the sound of Maya, Zay, and Farkle's cheering, Charlie snuck up behind Lucas, wrapped his arm around the taller blond's head, and smashed his chocolate cone right into his face. The surprise sneak attack always worked.

Cheers erupted amongst the friends.

"Well Lucas," Charlie addressed him while licking the ice cream drips from his arm. "It was a pleasure doing business with you. I'm sorry that you, once again, lost Riley to me. Kind of ironic, right? Since the semi-formal was when we became close friends anyway. Seems fitting to end high school this way. And don't worry, dude, I know about your unofficial thing with Riley – everyone in school knows about it. We're just friends. We're going to prom as friends. Don't hate me." Charlie sauntered out of Topanga's with a head nod and a wink in Riley's direction.

"Thank goodness it's over," Riley sighed in relief. "Sorry, Lucas…I-"

"It's not your fault, Riley, I should have asked you."

"Now he gets it!" Farkle quietly mumbles to himself.

"Well, Ranger Rick. If I were you, I'd go hurry up and find some girl to take to prom that hasn't been asked yet. But whoever you ask, she has to join _our_ group. You can't go off and hang with some random stranger, we want you in our picture."

"Gee, thanks, Maya," Lucas grumbled as he cleaned up his ice cream and got ready to head home.

Just as he got outside, Riley came running up to him. "Lucas, I just wanted to apologize for this whole thing. I would have loved to go to prom with you, but you're right. Our situation is…complicated. I understand why you didn't ask me, I wasn't really expecting you to."

"Oh, princess. I'm the one who is sorry. This whole duel thing was stupid. He asked. You said yes. You should go together. Just, save me a dance?"

"Always." The two smiled at each other.

Back inside Topanga's, Zay, Maya, and Farkle were discussing the most recent ice cream duel.

"Do you think those two will ever figure it out?" Maya asked the two guys.

"I don't know. I hope so, I can't handle them dancing around each other for much longer. I honestly thought their breakup was only going to last a few weeks," Farkle answered. He's been monitoring the LucasandRiley story closely from the beginning. "They're such idiots sometimes."

"Really, though," this time it was Maya. "Like, I feel bad I caused their breakup, that will _always_ eat at my conscience, but I thought they would just bounce back. They are disgustingly adorable and everyone knows it. I'm actually kind of glad Charlie threw this kink in the story, light a fire, you know? Zay, what do you think?"

"I dunno, you guys. I think we're in for a ride with those two. It's going to be an interesting few months before college starts. I can't believe those two are going to be in different states. What are we going to do?"

After a bit of a pause, Farkle answered. "We're going to stay friends, no matter what. We're not going to allow them – or anyone else – to drift. And in terms of the LucasandRiley situation, we're going to stay out of it. We're going to nod on the phone when they call us to vent and we're going to eat ice cream and be comforting when they are upset. That's all we can do."

The three friends took a collective breath before heading out for the day, each one thinking about their lovesick friends. Life may the long game, but the game of love, that one was exhausting.


	2. Building a World

**Building a World**

 _We tried the world, good God it wasn't for us_

 _("Jackie and Wilson", Hozier)_

"For the love of all that is precious in this world, Riley, answer the damn phone!" Charlie was always a grump in the morning. His complaining was accompanied with his elbow jabbing her in the ribs, a pillow being swung in the direction of her face (why did she offer to let him stay in her bed?), and Zay's groaning from the couch.

"Sugar, it's eight in the morning on a Sunday. The day after your birthday. Who would call you? Make them go away."

Half asleep, Riley searched for the source of the annoyance, while fighting Charlie's pillow attack. After locating the ringing thing from the floor by her end table, she grumbled into the phone without bothering to check the caller ID, "Whaaaat? It's early."

She was greeted with hearty chuckles from the other end of the phone. "Did the birthday princess have a good night last night?"

"Lucas?" The sound of their friend's name made Charlie and Zay snap to attention.

"He's calling you? _Now?_ Seriously? Doesn't he know you're angry with him?" Charlie had been left out of the loop on the most recent episodes of the Riley and Lucas saga – his being stuck on the west coast coupled with Riley's silence on the matter has kept him in the dark. He wanted answers, but didn't know how to broach the subject with Riley.

"Riley?" she heard from the other line. "Am I interrupting anything? Should I call you back?" Riley was too tired to deal with Lucas _and_ the firing squad in her bedroom. Deciding to fight one battle at a time, she returned her focus to Lucas.

"No, Lucas, sorry. I'm still waking up. Let me just get out of bed."

"Oh," Lucas sounded upset all of a sudden. "Sorry, you have someone with you. I can just – uh – go."

Riley had to laugh at his discomfort. "As much as I'm loving your discomfort right now, it's just Charlie. He and Zay crashed after bowling and stuff last night. Zay won the arm wrestling contest and Charlie had to share the bed with me. Poor guy. My limbs were probably everywhere,"

Lucas forced a little laugh while Charlie responded with a groan, "Seriously, Matthews, you gotta do something about those pointy elbows or you're going to scare off any guy from sharing a bed with you ever. I'm telling Ben about those things. Save his eye, or something."

At that statement, Lucas coughed, Zay laughed, and Riley once again found herself in an uncomfortable place with the boys in her life. Thank God Farkle wasn't there to chime in on the situation.

"Charlie," Riley admonished while running a hand through her messy, curled hair, "Do me a favor and shut the hell up. Sorry, Lucas," bringing her phone back to her ear, "You know how they are. How are you? It's been a while since I've heard from you. You surviving sophomore year?" She was rambling, but it's all she could really do in this situation.

"Uh, yeah," Lucas sounded just as unsure as Riley, "Everything is good on my end. School is hard – particularly those lab classes I have to take. Not a fan of those. Umm, everything else is – uh – good. How are you? I just wanted to check in, you didn't answer my call or respond to any of my birthday texts yesterday and, like you said, I haven't heard from you in a while and – uh – so how are you?"

Riley was glad that Zay and Charlie weren't privy to Lucas's end of the conversation. They were both awkward and inelegant and she would never hear the end of it if those two knew how idiotic the two were acting around each other. She took a few deep breaths to pull herself together before answering.

"I'm good, also. Everything on my end is going really well. I have one more semester and then I'm headed to England for a year, so that's exciting." Once upon a time, Riley and Lucas could talk to each other for hours about anything. She didn't appreciate that now their conversations were stilted and full of life updates. They were friends; they shouldn't have to give each other life updates.

"Oh that's right! You're studying abroad. How long will you be gone?"

"Uhh. I'll be there for a year. I'm leaving in August and I'll be back the next June or July. I'm nervous, but I've been really looking forward to it."

She could hear Lucas give a huge exhale on his end. "Riles," he sounded guilty.

Riley didn't like the change in his voice. She knew she wouldn't like whatever came out of his mouth next, "What's up, Lucas?"

"I'm so sorry." Riley was confused. Yeah, she was upset with Lucas for not coming to New York this year for Christmas break, but he was staying in Texas with his extended family – his parents were flying out there for the holidays – and with his new girlfriend.

"For what?"

"Riley…princess," Riley hated that her heart always fluttered when he called her that. "I'm not going to be able to see you until you get back from England."

"W-what? How can that be? We keep missing each other." It was true. Lucas left on New Year's day. For spring break, Farkle, Zay, and Charlie flew to Texas for a "boy's weekend" (Riley and Maya had a different spring break than the guys and they hung out in Florida with Shawn). Riley missed Lucas's summer trip to New York because it overlapped with the Leadership Summit that Columbia sent her on. He never made the trip out for Thanksgiving, saving money He wasn't going to be here for the holidays this year.

"I'm sorry, Riley. I completely forgot you were going to be gone. You're not normally the one who leaves, you know? I should have done the holidays in New York – that was what we all agreed anyway."

"It's okay, Lucas. You should spend time with your family – that's what the holidays are for."

"You're so understanding. Why? Be mad at me."

"Lucas…I can't," Riley sighed. Hating that she can't be truly angry with the guy. "I'm a little sad and a little annoyed. But I'm not _mad_. We're all just doing the best for us right now. I want that for you."

"I just wish it didn't have to be like this," Lucas genuinely sounded upset. "But, princess, I am really happy for you. For everything. You're amazing and you get to do all of these wonderful things. I miss you."

Riley took a deep breath, "Lucas. I miss you, too. I'm sorry for not calling or texting you back yesterday. It was a weird birthday without you. Maya and Farkle weren't there, either as both of them are stuck in finals week. It was just weird. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but I missed you. I just…things are changing. I'm not quite ready for that."

"Things don't have to change, princess…" he sounded sad. Riley didn't like that.

"That's the thing, Lucas. They do. They already have. Thank you for calling me, I appreciate it. I have to go, unfortunately." Riley didn't really _have_ to be anywhere, but she had to get off the phone before she cried. Things were changing between her and Lucas, she couldn't keep him as the backup plan anymore.

"Uh, okay. Happy late birthday, princess. Did you get my gift?" Riley remembered the package she picked up from the mail room. She hasn't opened it yet.

"I did, thanks. I, uh, I love it."

"Good. I didn't know what to get you, I'm glad you like it." There was a long pause in their conversation. Riley felt guilty for lying, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying that she was avoiding opening it. "Well, I should let you go. Have a good day, Riles. Say hi to everyone for me."

"I will. Bye Lucas."

After hanging up the phone, Riley let some tears fall. She was still sitting on the floor in the hallway – it was where she escaped to in order to get some privacy from Charlie and Zay. It was probably time to let go of the idea of Lucas. He had Hailey. She had Ben. And England. And Columbia. And amazing friends. And she was successful with her blog and school and the newspaper. Time to focus on other things. She took a deep breath and braced herself for Charlie and Zay before walking into her room.

The two boys immediately looked up at her, both sets of eyes were inquisitive. Riley didn't really want to talk about it, so she just shook her head and plopped on the couch between the two of them. She could practically hear Charlie and Zay's silent conversation.

She slung her arms around the shoulders of the two boys and whispered, "My boys. Thanks for always being here for me."

"You never have to thank us for that, Riley." Charlie kissed her on the forehead and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Sugar, you and I look out for each other. That's what we do," Zay gave her a light punch to the arm before leaning into her also. "So, Sugar, when I go home over spring break, do I need to punch him in the face?"

Riley laughed. Hard. She couldn't stop.

Maybe this was the first step to healing. Maybe she could do this, build a life without Lucas in the back of her mind.

"Hey," she said, lifting her head from the cuddle puddle, "You guys wouldn't let me fall apart, right?"

"Never." The boys said simultaneously. Charlie rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

"No matter what happens, Riles. You're gonna be okay."


	3. The Duet

The Duet

 _I don't wanna be the only one singing this song_

 _I don't wanna be the only one singing along_

 _("Lover's Song," Amarante)_

The tension in the room was palpable. Aside from the sounds of the city floating the window from the street and Auggie and Ava's periodic laughter from the living room, there was no sound aside from the occasional click and rustle of nervous fidgeting. After what felt like _hours_ one of them spoke.

"So…" The one-syllable word sat in the air for a while, hovering between the two girls in the bay window. The speaker expected something from the other girl, but instead of a response to her offering, the room was plunged into further silence.

It was torturous.

The brunette's cell phone rang, making the two girls jump. The break in the silence was almost welcome as both girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" The brunette put as much pep into her voice as possible, so as not to worry her friend on the other end.

"You okay, Riles?"

"Uh, yeah. 'Course I'm okay. Why do you ask?" Riley winced. Farkle wasn't going to buy that for a second.

"Kay…so let's try the truth this time. You okay? We're all waiting for you at Topanga's." Oh, shoot. It was Wednesday. They always went to Topanga's and a movie on Wednesday afternoon, it was their mutual day off from club meetings and practice.

Riley didn't know what to do. She knew she couldn't lie to Farkle. She may have had a fighting chance with Zay, Charlie she could have distracted until he forgot about the issue at hand. Lucas, well, he was unpredictable: he would either sense that she needs the space and give it to her, or would have pestered her to admitting the truth. After some mental back-and-forth, she decided to go with the path of least-resistance and told Farkle the truth. She may need him. "Maya's here," she mumbled into the phone.

"What? Riles, quit the mumbling." He sounded frustrated. Farkle, unlike the others, didn't find her nervous mumbling adorable. He'd known her the longest and the mumbling was his number one pet peeve. Riley, as usual, responded with an eye rool and an overcompensation of enunciation.

"Maya. Is. Here. In my Bay Window. Expecting a conversation."

The awkward pause from Farkle matched the awkward silence in Riley's bedroom. She picked at the hem of her dress while she waited for someone – anyone – to just _say something_.

Eventually, Farkle's voice came through the phone again. "We're on our way."

"Wai-"

"Riley, we're all on our way – well, maybe not Lucas. He's still really upset at the kiss and blames Maya for breaking you guys up, so he may not come with us. But you need us. And we want to be there."

There was no winning and she knew it. "Okay. Climb up the fire escape, okay? No need to put the history teacher on alert."

After hanging up, Riley played with her phone in her lap. She debated whether or not she should warn Maya that this (non)conversation was just about to get a whole lot worse for her.

"Um," Riley started, shakily. "Farkle and the gang are coming over. I think we all have a lot of air to clear."

"Yeah, okay." Maya looked a bit defeated, and even though it's been _months_ since Maya has sat here in her bay window – Maya keeps looking around at the newly-decorated space – Riley still cares about Maya. Has kept tabs on her over the years. Worries about her.

The two girls sit in silence until Farkle, for old time's sake, breaks the tension by drawling out "Ladies…" as he climbs into her window. As a reflex, the two girls respond with a perfectly-in-synched "Farkle."

Next through the window is Zay, who smiles at the two girls and sets up camp on Riley's bed with Farkle. Charle gives Riley a wink and plops down between the two girls, doing an exaggerated wiggle as he made himself comfortable. "I'm a barrier," he states. It gets a giggle.

Riley is shocked when Lucas comes through the window. He ignores Maya's presence completely, gives the brunette a long hug, and joins the few on Riley's bed. For a few minutes, it feels like old times – everyone hanging out in Riley's room after school. But the uncomfortable silence sets in and the six of them proceed to stare at each other, no one really knowing what to say.

Riley can't take it anymore. It's been months of silence. Months of questions. Months of not knowing what happened and stupid hallway fights and pretending to ignore birthdays. It's been awkward silence for too long and Riley, in the safety of her room, in the safety of her friends' supportive presence, snapped.

She rolled her neck, took a deep breath, leaned around Charlie, the barrier, and just exploded.

"What the hell, Maya?" The anger and general non-"Rileyness" of the question shocked everyone in the room. The silence shifted from awkward to stunned and no one wanted to interrupt the silence with even a breath.

Eventually, the blonde girl looked up from her lap. "Riles, I-"

"No, Maya. No! I get to talk. You came here to my bedroom _hours_ ago, you had your chance." She took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "I just want to know why. Why would you kiss my boyfriend? Why would you abandon me while I was lost and figuring out who I was? Why would you act out like that? I don't understand.

"We've been friends forever, Maya. Forever. And, what, I lose myself in the cheerleading world a little bit and rather than help me through it, you yell at me in public? Ignore me for weeks? Kiss my boyfriend? Exit my life for almost two years? Well, Maya, I have moved on. I don't _need_ you anymore. I don't need a protector. I found my feet, my own backbone. I don't need you."

At some point during the speech, Riley had stood up and made her way over to where Maya was sitting. She was hovering over the blonde girl, gesticulating widely while she yelled. Everyone else in the room just watched, barely aware of the opening door and of the caring parents hovering in the doorway. Zay broke from his shock first and grabbed Riley's hands, containing her passionate flailing. "Riley, sugar, stop."

Riley took a deep breath with her eyes shut. She looked straight at Maya who, for the first time in Riley's memory, looked destroyed. Worse than when her father came to town and she refused to forgive him. Worse than after she yelled at her in the cafeteria. Worse than when she was balancing life with half of her mother. The brunette instantly felt awful.

Eventually, Maya looked up. And when the two girls locked eyes, they cried together. Riley wiggled out of Zay's grasp and hugged Maya. They cried.

The boys were confused, but fascinated by the situation. The two girls kept whispering "I'm sorry" to each other. They kept glancing from the girls to Riley's parents in the doorway. Both Cory and Topanga had smiles on their faces as they watched the crazy reunion.

Maya was the first to calm down. "I'm sorry, Little Plant. I didn't know what to do, you were becoming this person I didn't recognize and I didn't want you to leave me – you were leaving me. I couldn't have you abandon me. Not you, too. I don't know why I kissed Lucas. I just wanted you to see me. I messed up."

"Oh, Peaches." Farkle gave a little giggle at the old, familiar nickname. "I messed up, too. I forgive you, if you forgive me."

"You don't even have to ask."

As the two girls fell back into their friendship, they began to open up to each other. They caught each other up on the year-and-a-half they'd been apart. They cried some more and laughed a lot. The boys trickled out, when Lucas left, he gave a small nod to Maya, still partially upset with her, and he gave Riley another hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Good for you, princess. You deserve to be happy."

And she was. Riley was happy. Maya was back. Neither girl slept that night and spent nearly two straight weeks having slumber parties and waves of yelling, crying, and laughing. They were healing. It was right. Riley relied on Zay and Charlie for laughter and comfort. She loved Lucas and Farkle's endless loyalty and admiration. But Riley needed Maya. The group could use another girl. Riley could use her oldest friend. They needed to find a new dynamic – one in which they were equal now that Maya was no longer Riley's personal bodyguard or protector of her emotions – but they will find that new stride. They were Riley and Maya. The perfect duet.


	4. Tell Me a Story

A/N: Thank you immensely for the overwhelmingly positive responses to this little story and to "Moments" – it means more to me than you know. This next one-shot is the first scene that originally inspired "Moments"; unfortunately, I cut from the big story for the sake of pacing. It's nice to finally throw it out into the world.

If you have any requests for scenes from "Moments" that you'd like to see fleshed out, or just curious about my own head-canon, I would love to hear those. Happy Holidays, I'm grateful for all of you.

Tell Me a Story

 _Whenever I'm alone with you_

 _You make me feel like I am home again_

 _Whenever I'm alone with you_

 _You make me feel like I am whole again_

 _("Lovesong," The Cure)_

"Tell me about this one," Lucas whispered, lips against the ink that decorates Riley's right shoulder blade. The young not-really-a-couple spent the day assembling furniture and putting together Riley's new apartment. She'd been back from her study abroad trip for about two weeks and she and Lucas spent the time searching for a suitable place for her to live for the rest of her time in college. Riley's list of requirements was short: she wasn't picky and would have been fine living in a small studio; Lucas, however, was hard to please. The neighborhoods weren't safe enough, the doorman seemed sketchy, there wasn't a private room, etc. Apartment-hunting was an adventure.

The two eventually agreed on a small – really small – two-bedroom apartment near Columbia. One of Riley's sorority sisters would be moving in with her in a few months. It was cozy and Lucas approved of the building's security features ("Princess, I'm going to be in Texas, I already worry about you whenever I know you're out and about, I can't be worrying about you when you're at home, too").

The past few days were hectic. The two of them, with the help of their friends and families, packed up some of Riley's stuff from her old bedroom, unpacked them in her new apartment, bought and assembled furniture, painted, and decorated. Moving into your first apartment was always a production. Finally, Riley felt a sense of relief: it was done. Lucas popped in _Crazy, Stupid, Love_. Riley poured some glasses of wine. They were relaxing and cuddling and kissing, enjoying the quiet moments.

"The tattoo?" Riley questioned through a soft moan as Lucas rubbed her shoulders.

"Mhmm," he breathed while kissing the shoulder blade again. "I've been curious about it all day, peeking out of your tank top. I didn't notice this one the other day. Who knew Riley Matthews would be the most inked out of all of us?" His voice was teasing. Riley missed how easy it was to just _be_ with Lucas. To just exist in the same space as him, no restraint, no fake smiles, no pretending.

"It's not really a good story," Riley whispered, not even pretending to watch the movie. "Like, it's a sunflower, sort of a cliché. A lot of the reason is just because I think the artwork is pretty."

"It's beautiful," he said with a small caress to the giant flower on her shoulder. "But that's not all there is to it, is it?"

Riley stopped fiddling with her fingertips and turned around to look Lucas in the eye. "Why do you have to know me so well?" She took a second to melt back into Lucas's torso and to decide how to explain that one. "This one's the newest," she started. "I got really homesick during the first few months in England, going felt like a bit of a mistake. I felt like I was running away, but didn't know what to do with my new freedom. I was just, confused, I guess. I don't really know."

"Riles, I'm sorry I wasn't around at all –"

"Stop it, Mad Dog," Riley whipped out a nickname that she only uses sparingly. "None of this was your fault. I'm just really sensitive."

"Well, I still feel respons–"

"No. Stop being such a good person and let me tell the story," Riley stuck her tongue out playfully at the green-eyed boy she was too afraid to tell she loved. She started playing with his fingers in her lap while she carried on with the story of the roses.

"Okay fine," Lucas sighed. "But internally, I still feel bad."

"I expect nothing else. So, anyway, I was feeling confused. So, I did what I do best when I feel lost: I went to a museum." Riley gave Lucas's thigh a gentle punch when he scoffed. "And I was just looking at some of the paintings and Van Gogh's _Sunflowers_ just _spoke_ to me, you know? It was bright yellow and happy and seemed to me to exist in opposition to his tortured story. And, I don't know, I felt _happy_ in that moment and it was so hopeful. After looking at this painting, I walked straight to a tattoo parlor and booked an appointment. A reminder to have hope and to be happy. And to not feel so much guilt. I don't know. It kind of sounds stupid now that I spell it all out."

There was a contemplative pause between the two. Riley continued to fiddle with Lucas's fingers – it was grounding her. Reminding her that he's here with her right now. After a moment, Lucas leaned forward and kissed the back of Riley's neck. "I don't think it's stupid," he whispered.

"You don't?"

"No. I like hearing the stories of what you were up to when I wasn't in your life. I mean, I read your blog – I'm probably your biggest fan – and kept up with you that way. But, it's such an edited version of you. I like hearing you talk about the things you hold close. I feel honored that you trust me with the stories."

"Lucas, I–"

"Tell me about the one that you have on your thigh." Riley wondered if Lucas knew what he was interrupting. Maybe he didn't want to hear her say that she loved him. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe she wasn't ready to say it. Maybe he already knew.

"It's from _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_."

"Your favorite book. I have to admit that I've never read it." Riley was in shorts and Lucas slipped one of his hands out of her grasp in order to brush the quote on her upper thigh. Riley shivered and tried to focus on the conversation at hand.

"You should. You don't need therapy when you've got a copy of _Alice_." Lucas gave a deep-throated chuckle in response.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense," he read off of her leg.

Riley couldn't suppress the smile on her face. "Isn't it a great quote? I just, I sometimes need a reminder to not take myself too seriously. I take the 'real' world so seriously, and then act like a complete goof when I'm on my own. So, I don't know. Some nonsense is okay sometimes."

"Completely okay," Lucas agreed, still rubbing at her thigh. Feeling the moment get a bit too intimate – Riley was still trying to process her and Lucas sleeping together in his room a few nights ago and what that meant for their relationship – she just wanted the simple, happy moment to stay without any added confusion. She drew his attention away from her thigh to another of her tattoos.

"The camera on my forearm is pretty obvious. You can put it together, Mad Dog. Maya drew it for me. She was mad that I got my first tattoo with you, so a few months later, she presented me with this sketch – she has an outline of a Polaroid in the same place – and dragged me out to get them done."

"Maya drew this?" He asked gently, running one index finger over Riley's left forearm.

"Yeah. It's awesome, right?"

"It really is. That's cute. I'm really glad you guys moved past 'the incident.'"

"Me, too."

"So, let's see. Maya hides it, but she can be pretty sentimental and poignant. So, a camera, Shawn's a photographer, so it probably means a lot to her. A reminder to see the beautiful things in the world?"

Riley's smile lit up her face. "Look at you," she teased, looking him straight in the eye. "The future vet has a sappy, artist side."

Lucas stuck his tongue out playfully at the brunette in his lap. "It's contagious. What I get from spending all of my time with a writer."

"Yeah, but you love it." Riley froze, she didn't mean to let the l-word slip out – carefully avoiding using it around Lucas.

Lucas didn't seem to think anything of it, though, as he planted a kiss on her head and said, "I do. Definitely wouldn't have it any other way."

Riley snuggled a bit deeper into his embrace and took a moment to watch the scene in the movie when everyone's identities are revealed. She giggled a bit during the fight in the yard.

"Hey, princess, come back to me. You still owe me the story of the one on your ribcage. If I remember correctly, it has something to do with words."

"Remember that one, do you?"

"Well, yeah. I did a fair amount of kissing it the other night." Riley blushed as she tried to shake the memories from her head.

"It's Margaret Atwood," she said after she got control of her voice. "'A word after a word after a word is power.' It's from a poem that I really love. I studied it in a women writers class and it just stuck with me. It's just a reminder for myself. How lucky I am to have words."

"I like it," Lucas said decisively.

"You've liked all of my tattoos," Riley laughed.

"Maybe I just like your taste in things."

"Maybe you just like me," Riley teased.

Lucas chuckled a bit. "No maybe about it, I do like you, princess. Now, we have one more tattoo to discuss, I really want to hear this story."

Riley was confused. "What are you talking about, Lucas? That's all of them. You officially know the most about my life. Maya doesn't even know about the ribcage one, I don't think."

"I want you to tell me about _this_ one," he said, kissing the small moon on her wrist.

Riley chose to play along. "Well, there's this guy…"

"Uh-huh. And?"

"And he's kind of cute. And funny. And I sort of like him a lot."

"Kind of? Sort of?"

"Yeah, kind of, sort of." She loved their banter.

"Well, this guy left me to chase his dreams. It's what I wanted, but we were both kind of dreading the separation."

"We were both _really_ dreading the separation," Lucas emphasized with a quiet whisper into Riley's ear.

"Yeah. And we decided to get sun and moon tattoos. He says that I'm the sunshine in his life, so he got a small sun. I chose the moon, as a reminder that – no matter what happens – that guy will be there, shining for me so I don't get lost. Lighting up the dark parts of my life. It's my favorite tattoo still. I've picked up a habit of rubbing at it for luck and to calm me in stressful moments. I have a thing for the moon."

Lucas's mood brightened during Riley's explanation and he resumed rubbing her back. "I have a thing for the sunshine."

Riley smiled, relishing the moment. No, she didn't know what she and Lucas were, but they were happy – and maybe that was more important than labels.

After a little while, Lucas broke the comfortable silence.

"Hey Riles," he whispered.

"Hey Lucas."

"Thanks for telling me the story of your life these past years. I'm sorry I missed it."

"I missed you. But you're here now. And we'll have our little moments and hopefully you aren't absent any more."

"Never again, princess. Never again."


	5. Comfort

Comfort

 _You're like a big parade through town_

 _You leave such a mess, but you're so fun_

 _("The Party," Regina Spektor)_

"Riley Matthews, open this window right now!" Maya Hart was standing on the fire escape outside of her best friend's bedroom at her parents' house. The blonde was worried – Riley wasn't normally the type of person to run home. Since she's been at Columbia, when Riley has a problem, she confronts it, stews over it for a while to decide if it's worth it, or ultimately lets it go. She doesn't run home to her parents'.

"Riles, seriously. I just got off a train from Providence to make an emergency trip back home because Zay and Topanga said you disappeared. If you don't talk to me, I'm getting Charlie, Farkle, and Lucas involved. You don't want that." After a few more minutes of being ignored, Maya threw her duffle bag at the window.

"Riley Elizabeth Matthews! Just because your lights are off and the window is locked and the curtains are shout does _not_ mean I'm going away. I know you're in there. Let me in, it looks like it might rain on me." The blonde stopped shuffling around for a few minutes and listened for any noise from the other side of the window. No sound was discernible, so after a few minutes, she tried her trump move.

"Open this window, Riley. Ring power!" Maya saw a light turn on behind the curtain and she breathed a sigh of relief. After a familiar clink of an unlocking window, a very disheveled Riley Matthews poked her head out.

"Maya, the friendship rings didn't survive the incident in high school. There is no ring power."

Riley moved to shut the door, but Maya was too fast for her and caught the glass before it could fully close. "Riles, ring power lives in our hearts and in the magic of the bay window. You let me in right now."

Partially because Maya was stronger than Riley and partially out of reluctant agreement on the brunette's part, Maya gained access to the bedroom. Riley redecorated during their lost years, no more purple and butterflies, but a more modern gray and white color scheme filled the familiar room.

Maya dragged her duffle bag into the room and threw herself on Riley's bed, next to the pile of fluffy blankets that Maya knew was Riley's nest. "Talk to me, Little Plant."

Riley just fidgeted with the drawstring on her sweatpants. The new glasses crooked on her face, hair in a messy topknot. Riley was usually the epitome of "put together," it was weird for Maya to see her friend like this. "Riles," Maya's tone was more gentle, "What's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Maya. I appreciate you coming here from Rhode Island last-minute, but go back to school. I can handle it."

Maya tried not to take personally Riley's rejection of her, but – honestly – it kind of stung. They patched up their friendship and everything, but Maya still wasn't sure she was the one the brunette wanted. "I am not going anywhere, pumpkin. Not until I know what this is about, we've dealt with it, and I feel reasonably confident that you're going to be okay. I believe that you can handle whatever this is alone. You're a strong person. But the beauty of our friendship – all of them, Zay, Lucas, Charlie, and Farkle, too – means that you don't have to."

At the mention of Lucas' name, Riley flinched and froze in her spot. _Aha!_ Maya thought, _this is about Lucas. I should have known_. "Riley, honey, talk to me."

Riley slowly moved from where she was standing by the bay window back to her blanket nest. Maya heard the quiet sniffling from her brunette friend while she situated herself on the bed next to her. "It's really nothing, Maya, it's stupid."

"You're crying. It's not stupid." Maya leaned her head onto Riley's and snuggled herself under some blankets, too.

"Maya?" Riley whispered. "Do you remember in middle school, when I wanted the world to be just us? I want to go back to that."

Maya gave a little chuckle and nuzzled herself further into the blanket pile and to her best friend. "Oh honey…" Maya's voice was comforting, she was glad Riley was opening up. The two of them? They were solid, no matter what stupid events happened in high school. "Sometimes, Riley, when you want it to be, the world can be just us. You're allowed to take breaks sometimes."

"Good." Riley's voice sounded more confident as she dropper her head onto Maya's. "I miss this, Maya. Zay's shoulders are not as comfortable, you're lack of height makes you a comfy pillow."

Maya gently hit Riley with a random teddy bear after the comment about her shortness. "My shoulder is here, Riles, whenever you need it. The only catch is, I get to come to you whenever _I_ need the world to just be the two of us."

"Deal." Riley didn't hesitate. Maya smiled on the inside; they were back. It was time to let the leftover hesitancy from the incident dissolve. Riley and Maya were perfect. Now it was time to check on RileyandLucas.

After a few more comfortable minutes of just sitting, Maya took a deep breath and dove into the problem at hand. "So, honey, are you going to tell me what Ranger Rick did this time, or do I have to guess?"

Riley flinched, "How did you know this has anything to do with Lucas?"

"Oh, please. I know you, Riley. So, what did he do wrong?"

"That's the thing," Riley sighed. "He didn't do anything wrong. We said we weren't going to be together. We agreed we weren't going to do a long-distance relationship. We both decided that was the best choice. I am nothing to Lucas -"

"Woah, woah, woah, Little Plant. Let's just clear something up. You are not now, nor have you ever been _nothing_ to Lucas. Ranger Rick worship the ground you walk on. You could ask for the moon and he'd find some way to give it to you with a big purple bow on it. You're _everything_ to him. So, if I need to go fly to Texas next and deck him, I will. But don't you go doubting yourself."

Riley started openly sobbing while Maya was talking. "Maya," she hiccoughed through the crying. "That's what I thought. I had the stupid nerve to think that we were just saying that because we were scared and that we were going to wait for each other. But no."

 _Oh no,_ Maya thought. A sinking feeling settled into her stomach. Hopeful, optimistic Riley has lost her faith in Lucas. "Honey, what happened? You gotta tell me, I'm dying over here."

"Lucas has a new girlfriend. Has for months now. And his parents love her and she's beautiful and I'm so stupid for thinking we'd find a way back to each other."

Maya was _stunned_. She was absolutely certain Riley and Ranger Rick were going to get back together. She – and the rest of the friend group – thought their whole "no long-distance relationship" thing was stupid, seeing as they are basically attached at the hip, even on last year's holiday visits. The rest of the group had a hard time infiltrating the RileyandLucas force field. She didn't know how to fix this one.

"Oh, honey," Maya finally said. She had a lapful of crying Riley. "That's it. We're going to wear our matching pajamas. We're going to binge eat rocky road and potato chips. We're going to watch some terrible movies and wallow and feel bad about our lives. Tomorrow, we get haircuts and we get our nails done and we go shopping. For a couple of days, the world is just the two of us. That okay?"

Riley nodded against Maya's stomach. "Maya? When will I feel better?"

The blonde artist sighed, "I don't know, Riley. I don't. But, until you do, you have me. And Zay. And Charlie. And Farkle. You have your amazing school. Your sorority family. Your family. You have everything in the world going on for you. You have so many people who would willingly put you first, you don't need Lucas."

Riley didn't say anything, but her crying calmed down. It was going to take a little bit of effort, a lot of ice cream, and a fair amount of "fake it 'til you make it," but she was going to be okay.

And until then, Maya was content to have the world be just Maya and Riley.


	6. First Date

First Date:

 _I hate this part, paper hearts_

 _And I'll hold a piece of yours_

 _Don't think I would just forget about it_

 _Hoping that you won't forget about it_

 _("Paper Hearts" by Tori Kelly)_

"Honey, are you sure about this?" Maya's voice asked through the phone speaker as Riley shimmied into a black cocktail dress.

"Peaches," Riley said, a bit flustered with the conversation she was having _again_. "It's a date. Just a date. I can go on a date."

"I know you can, Riley. I just worry about you."

Riley considered hanging up on Maya. She'd had this conversation with Farkle. She's had this conversation with Charlie. Zay came over to her dorm to ask her whether or not this was a good idea. She knew her friends had good intentions, but she wasn't a child. After taking a few calming breaths and unsuccessfully repressing an eye roll, Riley answered.

"Maya. Thank you for concern. But it's one date with a really nice guy and close friend in my journalism program. He needed someone to go to a gala he's writing an article about. It's not a big deal and I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, Honey. But what about Lucas?"

"What about him, Maya?" Riley bit out at her best friend. "Lucas and I are done. We agreed. He moved away. He has Hailey. We're at different places in life right now, and I need to stop pining. So, if it's alright with you and Zay and Farkle and Charlie, I'd like to go out tonight with a guy who likes me. Please."

"But-"

"Maya!" Riley was in the process of strapping herself into her electric blue heels and making sure her clutch was packed with the night's essentials. "Just stop, okay? Ben is going to be here in five minutes to pick me up and I don't need a lecture right now. It's one date. Dinner. Gala. Home. I'll text you when I get in.

"Riley, I just – "

"I can't do this right now, Maya. I need to finish getting ready. I'll talk to you later." Riley hung up her phone and took a deep breath.

While putting the final touches on her hair and makeup, there was a knock on her door. Riley grabbed her clutch and coat, walked to the door and took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello, Riley," a British accent and kid smirk stood on the other side of her door.

"Hey Ben, are you ready to go?" Riley's previous nerves were starting to go away. This was Ben. They've been friends since she started at Columbia last year. This was her all-nighter homework buddy and go-to editor and fact-checker. Tonight was going to be great.

"Of course, Reporter Girl. Let's go."

xXxxXxxXx

"Farkle, I'm worried about Riley." After Riley hung up the phone on her, Maya went to FaceTime Farkle. She liked Zay and Charlie, but Maya has always felt more comfortable with Farkle.

"Why? A friend asked her to go to a gala with him. She said yes. What's the big deal?" It's true that he'd had a conversation with Riley about this earlier this week, and he'd expressed his concerns with the situation. But after talking with Riley, he realized that she had a point: she couldn't just sit around and wait. And, yeah, maybe they all thought that Lucas was _the one_ for her, but Riley and Lucas could both make their own decisions.

"I just don't like the sound of this guy."

Farkle scoffed at Maya's rationale. "He's in her year at Columbia. They met at an orientation meeting for the newspaper. He's British. Riley thinks he's cute. They have been study partners all last year and now the two are among the best on the newspaper staff despite only being sophomores. He's exactly the type of person that, if there were no Lucas, Riley would be dating."

"I guess." Maya tried to hide her disgruntled face from Farkle by turning her head away from the webcam. "But I haven't met him."

"So what, Maya? Wasn't that part of what fueled "the incident" between you and Riley in high school? You can't be her protection squad, she's intelligent. She's ranked near the top of her program at Columbia, graduated second to me in high school. Her blog right now is basically a small business and she runs it consistently while holding a leadership position in her sorority and being an RA and journalist. She's fine, Maya. What is this really about?"

"I just feel like we're losing each other." Maya's quiet admission shocked Farkle.

"Wait, what?"

"Just, Ben does sound like a nice guy. And you're right, he's exactly the sort of person that Riley would date. But, Riley and I already fell apart once. And now her and Lucas aren't really talking. And if we could fall apart and if they – of all people – can stop talking, then what are we going to do if the five of us just get so wrapped up in our own things? You said it yourself, Riley has so much going on and you have engineering stuff or whatever you do and I wasn't really ever close enough with Zay and Charlie to talk to them on a consistent level. I just, what if it all falls apart? If Riley drifts, there goes everything."

Farkle was silent for a few minutes. The two old friends just looked at each other through their webcams. "Maya – "

"Look, I know it's irrational and a little silly, but I just want everything to stay the same. And, I guess I just _know_ that Riley and Lucas will end up together. I know Riley's view of love is Cory and Topanga, but mine is Riley and Lucas. I need them to work out."

"Maya. It kills me to say this, but I honestly believe that Riley and Lucas needed to take some time apart from each other. It doesn't mean that they won't end up together. It also doesn't mean that they will. They are in different states, waiting around wasn't going to happen. Am I worried? A little. But talking to Riley earlier this week made me feel better, she knows what she's doing. They are going to be fine. No matter what happens."

"I still don't really like it, but fine. Riley is a big girl. She can make her own mistakes."

"That's the spirit!" Farkle hoped his conversation with Maya would help the blonde calm down a bit.

"Thanks for that chat, Farkle."

xXxxXxxXx

 _Ring, ring._

The phone startled Maya awake. She blindly reached over to her nightstand for the loud object, knocking over some markers and sketchpads in her half-asleep search.

"What?" Maya answered with a groan.

"Did I wake you up, Maya? I'm so sorry." At the sound of her best friend's voice, Maya perked up a bit.

"Riles. Honey, why are you crying?" Maya checked the time, 1:00 am. Was Riley just getting home? Should she go beat up this Ben character?

After some shuffling and sniffling, Riley finally answered. "Maya, it was the best date. I had an amazing time and Ben did everything right." Maya was confused.

"It sounds like you had an amazing night, Riles."

"I did, Maya. Dinner was the perfect mix of classy, but not fancy or pretentious. The gala at the art gallery was fantastic. You'd like him, he can really talk about art. And, he's really into photography like me and we spent _hours_ talking about lighting and alignment and tasteful blurring and then we had an impromptu photo shoot for an upcoming blog post. And then we got gelato and he kissed me in the lobby of my building to say goodnight. It was amazing."

Maya thought it sounded like a fairytale date. "So, wait, Riley. If it was so amazing, why are you crying?"

"I didn't want tonight to be so perfect. Because if I can have a perfect night with Ben, then it might mean that everything with Lucas wasn't the fairytale I thought it was." Riley sounded so dejected and upset. Maya was confused, she can't even imagine how Riley felt about it all. It was time to put aside her thoughts and just be Riley's friend.

"Oh, Riles. I know I was upset earlier, but you're allowed to be happy with someone else. It's not against the rules."

"I know, Peaches, I just – "

"Hope. You wanted hope for Lucas. A sign or something, right?" Maya knows how it feels to try to sabotage what's good in your life in hope for some ideal life you carry around in your head.

"You know me so well, Maya. What do I do?"

Maya sucked in a deep breath. A big part of her wanted to tell Riley not to continue to date Ben, for her own selfish reasons. But she chose to listen to Farkle. "Well, Riley. Ben sounds great. The two of you had a great night. And it's not like Lucas is waiting for you in Texas. So, I think you should just let yourself be happy with Ben and not look for signs of hope for Lucas. Sometimes, hope is for suckers."

xXxxXxxXx

 **A/N: To all who are reading this little one-shot collection and to those who have left reviews and messages, once again:** _ **thank you.**_ **Immensely. From the bottom of my heart. I appreciate all of your kind words; they are** _ **incredibly**_ **motivating. I have two quick review responses:**

 **Dark Witch Pan – Fear not, your suggested one-shot is coming. It's one of my favorite scenes/ideas I've come up with and, I too, would love to read it. I wanted to give "Tell Me a Story" some space before presenting that particular story. I didn't want them back-to-back. Plus, I am working on some of the finer details with it. The plan right now is to use that scene as the final one for this collection, I think there's something poetic about that being where we leave Riley and Lucas.**

 **Kid386 – Never a stupid question; thank you so much for asking for clarification. Establishing chronology is one of the problems with this type of storytelling. I could have helped the situation by giving some more time clues or by mentioning that Lucas' girlfriend was Hailey (who we've met a new times now). That puts "Comfort" during the first semester of sophomore year in college. "Comfort" comes before "Building a World."**

 **To everyone – Thank you. All of your insights, suggestions, and comments are greatly appreciated. I, too, was missing some good Maya/Riley friendship and was glad for "Comfort" for that reason. Now, onto something completely different.**


	7. Panic

Panic

 _I'm pretty simple but I have explored_

 _Thought I had found it but I wasn't sure_

 _Always a feeling that there could be more_

 _("You're My Favorite" by Gwen Stefani)_

Lucas was doodling in his notebook again. Riley got back from England and his surprising her at her welcome back party went much better than expected. But, what were they? Together? Not together? They slept together. He was allowed input to her apartment. She takes his advice about applying to graduate school. They went on vacation together. But, was he her boyfriend?

Better question: did he want to be her boyfriend?

That wasn't even a question. This was _Riley_ , of course Lucas wanted to be her boyfriend. But what did Riley want? Ever since he left to come back to Texas for his last year of school, he hadn't even heard from her. And she bailed and avoided him during winter break to go hang out with Charlie and his girlfriend in California.

Is it possible that Riley is done with him?

No. This was Riley. And he was Lucas. They were supposed to be together, right? Why couldn't the two of them just grow up and say how they feel?

The buzzing of his cell phone snapped Lucas out of his thoughts. Lucas had to dig his phone out from beneath the kinesiology paperwork on his desk. Maya. At eleven o'clock at night, New York time. That was weird.

"Yes, shortstack?"

"Cut the crap, Lucas. How's Riley?" _Wait, what?_ Lucas thought. _What's wrong with Riley_.

"Maya. I'm in Texas. What happened to Riley?"

"Oh, crap, Ranger Rick. The one time I need you to know everything about Golden Girl. Cory and Topanga aren't answering the phone and Uncle Josh only knows that they stopped by the hospital to check on her. Zay and Farkle aren't being helpful at all, the Fark said he would text you."

"Riley's in the hospital? Wait. No, Farkle didn't tell me anything. Is she okay? Do I need to fly over there?"

"I don't know, Lucas. I'm in Rhode Island. Farkle went to New York this weekend for some Minkus International event – he was meeting up with Zay and Riles tonight. And then I got a text that said he and Zay had to take Riley to the hospital and that it wasn't an emergency. I was hoping you knew more."

Lucas took three breaths, clinging to the fact that it wasn't an emergency. Riley had to be okay. "Tell me she's okay, Maya. Please."

"I don't – oh. Hang on, Ranger Rick. Farkle's on the other line. I will call you right back. I promise."

"Yeah-"

The next few minutes were _agonizing_ for Lucas. He felt so helpless. All he could really do was check on Riley's various social media accounts, thinking he could piece together the evening. The most recent update, though, was a picture of Riley, all dolled up at yesterday's Minkus International gala. She looked beautiful. If Riley was okay, Lucas promised the universe and whoever was listening that he would tell her how he felt.

When his phone started buzzing again, Lucas answered immediately.

"Tell me she's okay, Maya."

"Lucas? It's Zay, man. She's perfectly fine. She-"

"Zay. How could you not call me sooner? And she's not 'perfectly fine' if she's in the hospital. What happened?"

"Luke. Take a breath. Riley told us not to call you."

"Why would she-"

"Because she's Riley. She didn't want you to worry about her."

"And you listened to her?" Lucas was trying to not get frustrated. Riley was okay. It wasn't Zay's fault.

"Lucas. We wanted to make sure she was fine before we told you anything."

"Okay." Lucas took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zay. I've been a little stressed."

"And that is what happened to Riley." _What?_

"What do you mean, Zay?"

"Riley had a panic attack tonight. We were hanging out at her place and just talking about everything and she just shut down. And then she was on the ground, sobbing, and shaking. She didn't have any grip in her hand and it was like she immediately had a fever. It was so scary, Luke. I've never seen anything like it. It was like she couldn't breathe. Farkle and I didn't know what to do, but when it didn't get any better and she started throwing up, we called an ambulance because we didn't know what was happening. Turns out, it was just a bad panic attack, but she hasn't been eating properly or hydrating herself or sleeping normal hours for weeks. And it all just, built up."

Riley wasn't taking care of herself. That didn't sit well with Lucas at all. "Zay, you're supposed to be looking out for her."

"And I am, Lucas. I'm trying. I feel terrible. But you know Riley. She's the most selfless person in the world. She hides her own trouble. Plus, I don't think I've actually seen Riley in person since before winter break."

"It's the end of February, Zay." Lucas knew that wasn't fair. Zay wasn't Riley's babysitter. But how could they have gone that long without seeing each other. Zay was kind of the new Maya in Riley's life. The two were crazy inseperable.

"I know, Lucas. I know. I told you, I feel terrible. But I've been on tour and doing a show. And Riley is off doing speaking gigs for her blog all the time. We talk on the phone every day, but we've both been blowing off actual meetings. I feel terrible I should have realized…"

"Zay. Is she going to be okay?" Lucas couldn't go around blaming people. He was probably a contributing factor to Riley's stress and it wasn't anyone's fault this happened.

"Yeah, man. She's going to be fine. Needs to do a better job of taking care of herself, but now that Farkle, her family, and I are aware, we're going to help. Farkle is getting ready to take over Minkus, so he's in the city all the time. He's great at the tough love thing. I just give in to everything Riley wants. Broken Riley is hard for me to deal with."

Zay didn't know the half of it. Broken Riley meant shattered Lucas. "Hey. Did anyone call Charlie? He's probably the best person for giving her a lecture she'll listen to."

"Haha. You're probably right about that. Farkle is talking to him right now." Lucas could faintly hear Farkle's voice in the background. "Look, Luke. I'm sorry. I should have called you. But I promise she's fine. She's passed out right now, light sedation to force her to rest, or else I'd let you talk to her." Lucas let out a long exhale. Riley was sedated in a hospital. Probably a few nutrients in an IV to make up for the skipped meals.

"It's alright, Zay. Riles and I have some other ground to cover anyway. Just, when she wakes up, tell her that I need her to take care of herself."

"I promise, Luke. I will do that. But, one question, when are you guys going to figure it out. I don't like being the middle man. None of us like being in the middle." Another deep exhale from Lucas. That was the million dollar question: when _were_ they going to figure it out?

"Soon, Zay. Soon. I promise."

"I'm holding you to that, Luke. Because if I ever, and I mean ever, hear your name come up in the stressed, panic attack babble of Riley, I won't hesitate to shove an ice cream cone in your face. Got it?"

That killed Lucas. So he _was_ a factor in Riley's mental state. "Zay, I would deserve worse than an ice cream cone facial."

"And don't you forget it! Hey, Luke, I'm gonna go get back to the Matthews family and sit with Riley for a bit. I'll pass on your message, I promise. And you, Luke, you take care of yourself, too."

"I will, Zay. I promise" And Lucas really meant it.

"And, for the love of God, just be the girl's boyfriend already. Damn."

Lucas wasn't going to get any sleep that night. He needed to come up with a plan. Riley was okay, that was important. But Lucas didn't want to be a cause of any stress or panic in Riley's life anymore. He should be a sure thing. And he should be doing a better job of looking out for Riley. But, what to do?

xXxXXXxXx

Riley Matthews opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room. Where was she? As her vision started clearing up, she recognized the people around her: her parents. Farkle. Auggie. And the last person in the room, a wide-awake Zay.

"Hey," her voice sounded like she'd swallowed gravel. Zay got up from his char and handed her a cup of water.

"Riley Elizabeth Matthews. You scared all of us. Do you think any of us like having to call Maya, Charlie, and Lucas to tell them that you're in the _hospital_?"

"I-" but Zay cut her off.

"No, Riley. You need to rest a little more. Look, Riles. I'm sorry I didn't realize you were having a bad time. I have to live with that and will work really hard to make it up to you, but you need to not skip meals or nights of sleep anymore, okay? And you need to talk to me or Farkle or Lucas or Maya or Charlie when you're stressed out, okay? I am not having another conversation like that with Lucas ever again."

"You-" but again, Riley was cut off.

"Of course I called him, Riles. I had to. He also says that you need to take care of yourself, okay? We'll talk more later, sugar. When you're out of the hospital. But you better get used to me. I'm going to be around a _lot._ By the way, you have a text message."

Riley gave Zay a half-smile of gratitude when he passed her phone to her. The young dancer then reached down to give Riley an awkward hug before situating himself next to her in the bed.

"What?" Zay asked, "The chair is uncomfortable." Riley let out a little laugh before giving her attention to her phone. Zay peeked over her shoulder: eleven calls and messages from Maya. Three missed calls from Charlie. A handful of texts and emails from school friends who didn't know what happened that night. Riley skipped those, she'd deal with it later. She did open the text from Lucas.

"So," Zay questioned, "What does lover boy have to say?"

Riley rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder, but showed him the screen anyway.

 _Hey Princess. I heard what happened, so glad you r OK. Text me when you r awake. I worry about u. Love you, Riley Matthews. Always._


	8. Home

**A/N: Thank you all for reading and for being patient. Full-time graduate school-ing plus working plus internship-ing is hard work. I love to write and I love this universe, but sometimes it has to take a backseat to the other priorities I am balancing. I sincerely appreciate those of you who are reading and reviewing. I love reading what you have to say. :)**

 **Before we get going with the next installment, I wanted to do a quick breakdown of the timeline. As you know, "Vignettes" doesn't happen in chronological order, and for me, that's the fun of this collection. It's like a puzzle and meant to be brief peeks at things that have happened to our beloved characters in this "Moments" universe. That said, this type of storytelling is sometimes difficult to follow. So - if you want it - here is a breakdown of the chronology of the one-shots and where they fit in "Moments." And yes, I do reread "Moments" before writing every one-shot. I need to make sure it fits tonally and thematically.**

" **Ice Cream Battle" – Riley is 18 and this story occurs near the end of her "magical" senior year of high school, in April.**

" **Building a World" – This one-shot occurs on the day after Riley's nineteenth birthday and is when Zay and Charlie meet Ben. Following what was established in the show, Riley's birthday is December 8.**

" **The Duet" – Riley is 18. I imagine the Riley/Maya reunion happening right after winter break during their senior year of high school. January seems like an excellent month for this reunion to have happened.**

" **Tell Me a Story" – This one happens during the summer after Riley's junior year abroad. She's 20. (Because of Riley's December birthday, she's a bit younger than her friends – turning 18 during her freshman year of college).**

" **Comfort" – Riley is 18, almost 19. Early October of her sophomore year.**

" **First Date" – Occurs about two weeks after the events of "Comfort," before Riley's 19** **th** **birthday.**

" **Panic" – Riley is 21. Occurs at the end of February (think midterms time). Cory's accident happens in April with only weeks until all of their respective graduations. This panic attack episode is why everyone is so worried about Riley during Cory's accident.**

 **I hope that was helpful! Thank you again for reading this and glimpsing into my GMW universe.**

 **Now for some Rucas fluff! In this (incredibly short) one, Riley is 22 and Lucas has just moved in to the apartment.**

xXxXXXxXx

Home

 _Tell me your secrets_

 _And ask me your questions_

 _Oh, let's go back to the start_

 _("The Scientist," Coldplay)_

"You know, babe, for a girl who just graduated from college with honors, you look incredibly stressed out." Riley managed to look up from her laptop to spare a small smirk in her boyfriend's general direction. She was a hot mess, and she knew it: glasses crooked on her face, short hair skimming her shoulders with last night's curls frizzing out of their once-careful up-do, Lucas' shirt drowning her skinny body.

She always appreciated Lucas' ability to bring her back to reality. "Sorry, love. Article. You ever going to stop bragging about me?"

The blond walked over to her perch in the middle of the living room floor from the kitchen with two mugs of hot cocoa. "You know, princess, this is why we have an office. So, when you get stuck in research mode for one of your articles, the floor of our living room is still visible and people can actually walk in here. And, no. Of course not. Bragging about Riley Elizabeth Matthews is my favorite pastime."

Riley rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, but gathered her papers and cleared a spot on the couch for him to sit anyway. "I'm not used to the office yet. It was Claire's room and then Maya's room." Once her papers were in a neat stack and her document saved, the brunette joined her boyfriend on the couch, legs propped in his lap while she sipped at the hot chocolate. "An office. It seems so indulgent."

Lucas laughed. "You're so ridiculous, princess. Be more materialistic, would you?" The blond gave his girlfriend a gentle poke in the thigh to accompany his teasing."

Riley's laughter filled the room while Lucas tickled her. This felt right: Lucas, her. Together. In the apartment he helped pick out a couple of years ago. Riley and Claire are still really good friends and she liked living with Maya, even though they had their arguments. But this felt perfect.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Riley set down her hot coca and stretched out on the couch. "Hey, Lucas?"

The blond boy had started to doze off a little bit, but he woke up at the sound of Riley's voice. "Princess?"

"Are you happy?" She was a little nervous to know the answer to that particular question.

"What do you mean, Riles?" Lucas sat up a little more and rubbed Riley's calves to encourage her to talk.

"I mean: are you happy? With the way things are now? I guess I'm just having an insecure moment, but above anything else, I want you to be happy. You left Texas again and moved in and adopted my life, I want to make sure you're okay with it all."

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle a bit at his girlfriend. "Riley Matthews, you are something else."

The brunette playfully stuck her tongue out at the blond and snuggled further into the couch. "You know, Lucas Friar, I have always loved the way you say my name. 'Riley Matthews.' Like it's something precious to be admired."

"Princess, you need to be way more narcissistic. You _are_ something precious. And I – and many others – _do_ admire you. You are worth much adoration - "

Riley groaned and tossed her head back.

"No, Riley Matthews. You listen to me and you listen good. You are admirable. Journalist. Blogger. Entrepreneur-in-training. A fantastic friend. A generous sister. A fantastic girlfriend. You're open-hearted. Sweet. A hero to us all." Lucas punctuated each new compliment with a kiss. "Riley Matthews, you are too hard on yourself. You are a _marvel_. The sun. Don't ever forget that."

If Riley could bottle up moments and save them forever, this memory would smell of Lucas' cedar cologne, fresh paper, and cardboard boxes. This moment would be treasured above all others. As she climbed into Lucas' lap to express her gratitude to her boyfriend, she thought of perfection and that perhaps she'd found it.

A few hours later, the two found themselves in the kitchen finding homes for Lucas' mugs in Riley's collection, the future veterinarian leaned over and looked the brunette blogger in the eyes. "Riley Matthews, I have you. Of _course_ I'm happy. You are my home."


	9. Observations

Observations

 _You can stand on your own two feet,_

 _You can lead me through the streets_

 _Pave the way, so we can dream dreams_

 _No one else can see what you made me see_

("Paris," Kate Nash)

Once you fall in love with Riley Matthews, a part of her always stays in your heart. Charlie Gardner knew this more astutely than anyone – okay, maybe not more than Lucas, but God knows _that's_ a long story. Over the years, Charlie and Riley's relationship evolved. Eventually he outgrew his crush and the two settled into a comfortable friendship. They were something like best friends, something like siblings, something else that includes crushes, kisses, dates, heart-to-heart conversations, and unfailing trust. Charlie considers Riley his _person_.

All of that said, Charlie Gardner feels justified in judging anyone and everyone who disrupts Riley Matthews' life.

Charlie has to admit that he constantly waffles between rooting for Lucas and wanting to shove all of the ice cream in New York into Friar's annoyingly symmetric face. Yes, Charlie can see _the look_ – he's been forced to deal with the look for _years_ ; but just because Friar can pull some puppy dog eyes and can make Riley smile doesn't mean the guy is some kind of superhero. And, in Charlie's book, Lucas has proven _many times_ that he doesn't deserve Riles.

When Charlie finds out – via _Instagram_ of all things, seriously? Weren't they friends? – about Hailey, he goes past thinking of ice cream and wants to punch Friar in the face. He even bought a seat on a plane from California to Texas with the plan to walk up to his friend, punch him, say "This is from Riley, remember her? First kiss? Matching tattoos? The girl you say is your own personal sun?" and then immediately leave for New York to do some damage control.

Friar's nose better be thankful that a good, long jog and a conversation with Zay led to the cancelation of that particular plane ticket. Charlie knows that Riley has to solve her own problems and has to save herself. But, if she asks, he'd be there for her.

That's how it's always been. Charlie is a cheerleader. A comforter. A source of calm. And he wouldn't have it any other way, because – Lord knows – Riley is all of those things and more for him.

So, because Charlie is Charlie. And because Charlie loves Riley. And because Charlie has witnessed the RileyandLucas drama first-hand for most of his life, his antennae immediately rise at the mention of Ben.

It first happens during one of their FaceTime conversations freshman year. They're unloading to each other and Riley brings him up. Charlie immediately is interested because it's the first person Riley mentions by name as someone she's close with. Charlie almost remembers that sentence verbatim: "I probably would be even more of a mess if it wasn't for Ben." And that was all.

Over the course of the year, Riley's mentions of Ben grew in frequency. Charlie was smart enough to know that the number of mentions was directly related to the influence of Ben in Riles' life.

"Ben is just so, so _good_ , you know? He's such a talented writer, but modest about it. And he's basically a walking encyclopedia. I've talked him into being my own personal fact-checker."

"It's funny. He calls me 'Reporter Girl.' Like Rory on _Gilmore Girls_. It's basically the highest compliment I could ever be paid. And, it's so weird. He really believes in my writing, you know?"

"Ben picked me up that night. I don't think I'm ever touching alcohol again."

"He's from London, Charlie. Can you imagine living anywhere more _magical_? And of course, because he's Ben, he's so cavalier about it. Like it's nothing. It's insane."

Charlie's not an idiot. He can recognize a crush when he sees it. At first, he's upset. If Riley wasn't going to ride into the sunset with Lucas, then why wasn't he – Charlie – the next option. And then he's upset with Riley and Lucas. The two idiots went and got matching tattoos of all things and they are too damn chicken to seal the deal. And then he's frustrated with Ben – who the hell _was_ this guy? From Riley's favorite city. A writer. A book dork. They have inside jokes. Ben got to see Riley drunk and hold her hair when she puked. He went with her to sorority parties and fell asleep in her dorm room during study sessions. Eventually, Charlie recognized his frustration for jealousy – the group dynamic is _so_ different now that they're all spread out. Charlie moves from jealous of Riley to happy for her. Ben actually sounds like a good person and Charlie is thankful that Riley has someone in her life like that.

After Charlie hears about Hailey, he makes a bet with Zay about when Riley and Ben will start dating. Zay says no and refuses to jump off of the RileyandLucas bandwagon. But Charlie knows better. He knows that change happens and time cannot be stopped. He knows that Riles and Ben actually sound like they complement each other pretty well. He knows that a break can actually be the best thing for Riley and Lucas. They bet an ice cream cone facial.

On Riley's nineteenth birthday, Zay and Charlie meet Ben. The British guy is _exactly_ how Ben imagines him: tall, intelligent, a bit dorky, and completely infatuated with Riles.

Charlie watches through the evening. He notices the handholding and the kisses. He admires the easy banter. He is comforted that Ben seems to instinctually catch Riley when she stumbles. There's something in the air between them, a level of comfort and ease that Charlie has never noticed in Riley before.

When Charlie and Zay escort Riley back to her dorm after Ben buys a round of amaretto gelato – Charlie is shocked to discover that amaretto is Riley's favorite flavor, she's let the group think it's coffee for most of her life and never had to heart to correct them – Charlie silently takes note of Ben's clothes and books that litter her room. He chooses not to say anything to Riley's slip-up and blush when she offers "Ben's side" of her bed to one of them that night.

In the back of Charlie's mind, he wonders if Lucas knows about Ben. Charlie wonders if he likes Ben more than Lucas. Wonders if _Riley_ likes Ben more than she likes Lucas. Charlie wonders what it all means. Would he still root for Lucas when he finally comes around and realizes Hailey is a ditz? Feelings are complicated…

On the day after Riley's nineteenth birthday, Charlie and Zay talk about Ben. He is surprised that Zay actually likes him, too. They talk about what it all means for the group and for RileyandLucas. They talk about how Maya and Farkle are not going to take well to the idea of Ben. That afternoon, Zay gets a face full of cookies and cream and Charlie and Riley discuss change.

Charlie reflects on how much they've all grown in a year-and-a-half of distance. He wonders if Riley knows just how many men's hearts she's managed to carve a home in.


	10. Polaroid Memories

_Baby, don't let the lights go down_

 _("I Miss You," Adele)_

Polaroid Memories

Riley Matthews was in that delicious state between sleep and wake, deciding whether or not to succumb to her fuzzy mind and go back to the land of dreams or to greet the day and start being productive.

It really was no contest. The brunette buried herself further into her stark white sheets and comforter and lazily began seeking her boyfriend with her hands. After a few minutes of stroking nothing but warm sheets, Riley let out a small groan and committed to waking up to solve the problem of the missing boyfriend. Before she got too far, however, a gentle _click_ filled the otherwise quiet dorm room and the small disturbance was enough to awaken the girl.

"Ben," the brunette groaned out in a whiney voice. "What time is it?"

Another _click_ sounded before the British accent responded, "Seven in the morning."

Riley Matthews let out another groan. She was _absolutely not_ a morning person, the little moon tattoo on her wrist can attest to that. Riley was a night owl and seven in the morning was _not_ an appropriate time to be awake during spring break. "Ben, come back to bed."

A gentle chuckle and another _click_ responded to her whine. Not one to let go, Riley continued talking. "Seriously, Ben. This isn't going to work if you keep waking me up at stupid hours in the morning. Besides, mornings are for cuddles - and I like to cuddle." Riley's ramble was interrupted by more clicking noises. Her hope of a morning cuddle session was slowly dissolving. With an overdramatic sigh, Riley threw the blankets off of her and sat up. "What the hell are you even doing?"

After Riley's eyesight cleared for the day, she focused in on the sight of her shirtless boyfriend standing behind her tripod and her camera that she got from her Uncle Shawn in high school. She'd bought a newer one in the years since her seventeenth birthday, but that particular one was her favorite. It was the camera that inspired her start her blog _Girl Meets World_. She owes a lot to that camera and to her Uncle Shawn.

"Good morning, Reporter Girl!" Seriously, that guy was too cheerful in the morning. "I hope you don't mind, but your equipment was already set up and I was inspired to snap some photos of you to add to my portfolio. But I don't have any of my own cameras with me, and - well, you know - you can't ignore inspiration, so I took the liberty of, well…I understand if you hate me."

This was one of those moments where Riley could almost _feel_ her adoration for this man grow in her chest. She wonders if his rambling was something that he managed to pick up from her during their friendship-turned-relationship. In the back of her mind, she thinks she should probably be upset at someone using her equipment without her permission, but – if she's honest – she's envious of Ben's artistic eye and she'd gladly let him use her stuff if it led to the photographs she's learned to love.

"So, what I'm hearing is," Riley did her best to turn on her best flirty voice, "Is that I _inspire_ you."

A few more clicks of the camera, and Ben moves from behind the tripod and playfully stalks to his girlfriend. "Oh, Reporter Girl, you have no idea."

A few minutes and many kisses later, Riley was basking in the victory of having received the morning cuddle session she wanted. "So, can I see the photos? The majority are of me sleeping, so they can't be that good."

Ben pulled her closer to his chest before responding. "On the contrary, love. They capture a certain peace and vulnerability that you hide during the daytime. And, no. You can't see them until I edit them. This isn't like my writing where I let you read it at any stage and I'm alright with you lovingly ripping my work to shreds. I want to finish this project on my own."

"But-" A kiss to interrupt.

"No, Riley. Be patient."

Instead of immediately responding, Riley reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her Polaroid camera. "Fine. But I get some unedited snaps for myself."

For the rest of the lazy morning, the young couple took Polaroid photos of each other in candid moments while lazing around in bed, eating PopTarts, and watching movies. Some of the shots were artistic and beautiful, many were poorly aimed selfies, but all were a good memory that each of them wanted to hold onto.

"Ben. I'm sorry." Riley's apology was a gentle whisper that was almost inaudible over the rustle of a bag of chips.

"What do you possibly have to be sorry about?" Ben's gentle smirk was _so_ inviting.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to be like this with you."

Ben pulled her closer before answering, "I'm still a little lost, Reporter Girl."

"Just. Everything. I had so much Lucas baggage and so many moments where I just wasn't sure about anything. I made it so hard for you to get close to me. But, Ben, you're my best friend – and I'll kill you if you let that slip to the gang. I'm _happy_. You and me? This is good."

"I think so too, Riley. This _is_ good. And getting to know you wasn't difficult. Sure, sometimes frustrating, but always worth it. I don't know how I'm supposed to say goodbye to you when you go to England."

"So. Don't say goodbye."

"Riley," Ben sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the last second, the gleam in his eye changed slightly and he stuck his smirk on. Riley liked the way her name sounded in his mouth, it was different from the way Lucas said it. Ben pronounced her name confidently, like it was holding a secret. She liked that. "Riley," he repeated. "I never want to say goodbye to you. But. One day, I'll have to."

"I know." Riley rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, ignoring her phone vibrating on the coffee table. "That's what the photos are for, right?"


End file.
